The Grafter's Handbook

by Robert J. Garner

Reviewed by Claire Guggenheim (11/1995)

I have always thought that we
should carry a book on grafting but I had
never found a good one. Thanks to Dianne
Hand's Bits & Pieces and some prompting from
Matt Heffron, Inland Empire chapter chairman,
I discovered this wonderful book. I contacted
the U.S. distributor and was able to get a
very good price for our members.

Since joining CRFG in 1981, I have been
around grafting a lot but mostly to watch.
David is the grafter in our family but after
reading this book, I think I could do it
myself. The 121 line drawings are so detailed
you just can't miss.
The book begins with a very small glossary
but, being in the front, it gives the novice a
chance to catch up on terminology and also
introduces words that he may have to look up as
well.

I was fascinated from the very first chapter,
titled "Grafting in Nature and Antiquity." I have
seen the grafting process and heard the rules of
the procedures many times, but I never learned how
the process actually occurs until I read this
chapter. In subsequent chapters, the author
discusses compatibility and cambial contact,
rootstocks and their propagation, collection and
treatment of scionwood, and tools and accessories.

This is followed by the meat of book, "Methods of
Grafting." The author has limited his selection of
detached-scion techniques--90 pages of different
methods--to those that are practical and
interesting. He begins with a description of the
different approach-graft methods and then moves
from the simple to more complex detached-scion
grafting methods. He clearly explains each stop
through text and line drawings and often opines
when to use what and what doesn't necessarily
work. The description of tying methods is so
detailed that no one should ever again have to
worry about this part of the process.

The chapter on tree-raising in nurseries gave me
an added appreciation for the effort that goes
into what we typically find in our nurseries. I
have seen some of these techniques on field trips
we have taken here in California. Now, if I get
truly ambitious, I have a ready reference to fall
back on should I decide to try it.

The chapter on grafting established trees is a
godsend to all of us who inherited trees or want
to redo what we tried earlier. The section on
repairing was a real eye-opener. I had only heard
of "bridging" as a bad thing that happens when the
tree heals the girdle before an airlayer takes. I
was amazed at some on the things grafters do.

The Grafter's Handbook has long been viewed
as the encyclopedia of plant propagation by
grafting. Everything the dedicated amateur,
the student or the professional
horticulturist wants to know about grafting
can be found here. Even though it was
originally published in 1947, it has been
continually updated through 1988. The author
has amended or supplemented each paragraph
when new information seemed relevant or worth
including. The newer editions include
entirely new topics in appendices at the end
of the book. The current edition is the 1995
reprint of the 5th edition and includes
discussions of replant diseases, weed control
in nurseries by herbicides, and
micrografting, particularly fascinating. If
you are at all interested in grafting, you
must have this book.